


I Want To Join the Fight

by wolvesanddaggers



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Boyfriends, Dystopia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2013-04-27
Packaged: 2017-12-09 17:55:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolvesanddaggers/pseuds/wolvesanddaggers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is fully controlled by the government. Individuality and freedom are obsolete. And Liam Payne has (almost) abided by the rules his entire life. When he meets Zayn Malik, another possibility arises: he doesn't have to play by the rules his entire life. There is another side to the world. And it's calling Liam closer every minute.<br/>Louis wants to stay by Liam's side, all while avoiding falling in love with Harry. And Niall just wants everything to turn out okay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Want To Join the Fight

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, guys. This is my first time posting something on AO3. This will (hopefully) also be the first work I ever finish. I'm hoping I'll get some sort of feedback. So, enjoy. I really don't want this to suck. I really love dystopian literature so hopefully (that's a lot of hope) I'll do the genre some justice.  
> A little background on the story: it's set in London in the future. If you don't know anything about dystopian literature, maybe you should read the wikipedia page or something first so you can understand the plot more!  
> Be warned: I love angst, fluff, smut, a bit of violence for the plot, and you know the drill. Only read if you're not super sensitive or homophobic and whatnot. Also, I'm not British so I'll probably use the American spellings for things, oops. Anyways, thanks for reading this :)

The sunlight is clean and good and warms Liam up to the core.

He revels in it because natural sunlight and fresh, clean, real air is a somewhat rare thing to Liam. Well, not exactly rare, because it's technically always there, but it's rare to Liam because rarely does he get to sit outside and just relax and live in nature. Rarely does Liam get to huddle down on a warm, sun-soaked rock and listen to the birds chirp and dip his fingers in the cold, running stream that passes through the field.

The moments when Liam does get to sit outside are not an often occurrence, but when he does find a time to slip away from school or his home or all of the steel and glass and metal buildings, he cherishes the outdoors.

Speaking of all the buildings, Liam should really be getting back. He's technically not supposed to be here, anyways. That's one of the rules: don't sit out in nature for too long. You can be inside, in an artificial park, or see any sort of nature while you are walking from one building to the next (if there is an open passageway, that is. Most of the buildings have covered tunnels leading in between them.) But you can't spend time sitting, say, in a grassy meadow, like Liam is doing now.

But he can't help but break this rule now and again. It's a silly rule, anyways. He doesn't understand it; but then again, he doesn't really understand most of the rules. However, this is one of the very few rules that Liam will ever break. He's a (somewhat ostensibly) good boy: listens to directions, takes his tracker bracelet almost everywhere (honestly, he only takes it off in the sanitation unit [it's waterproof, but he likes to feel natural when he's cleansing himself] and when he slips outdoors), doesn't question most things.

If he did question something, he would be annihilated. Or, well, maybe he's being a bit dramatic. But he would be imprisoned for life, maybe even tortured a bit. He wasn't sure what truly happens to the rebels: he's never personally known one. He's only heard the well-worn rumors that are passed around the room at sleepovers, only overheard snippets of his parents' conversations when they are getting ready for bed at night. 

He's sheltered. This he knows. He knows that well, yes, bad things happen every day in his world: he just doesn't hear about them. Technically, nobody should know about them. The community is supposed to be dumb and oblivious, but the thing is: some aren't. Yes, most people accept the rules and don't question anything, but some people (like Liam's parents and some of their friends) know the truth about the government: how they are stifling to the people, desperate to keep the people stupid to how controlling and evil the government really is. 

Liam shouldn't know that the government is actually a bad thing. His parents and everybody else want him to be in the dark about the government so that he won't be tempted to join the rebel group, do something reckless, and get himself killed. 

That's the thing: there are rebels. People who join secret meeting groups to discuss how to break the rules (and maybe even overthrow the government). Liam doesn't know who they are, though. And he probably never will. Because he's a good rule abider. 

Anyways, Liam really needs to get home now because the hovercrafts that patrol the city may for some reason decide to fly over the edge of the forest at any minute, and with their heat detection devices, Liam knows that if they caught him, he would be in an enormous trouble for breaking a rule. So Liam gets up, dusts himself off, and begins to quietly sneak back to his housing unit. He has to take the secret way: alongside the stream until he hits a concrete road that starts the city's border. There is a large glass and metal wall surrounding the city, but there are places to sneak in that not many people know about. There is one alleyway, dark, narrow, and hidden from prying eyes, that leads into the city and pops out behind a suburban neighborhood. Liam quietly races down the alley, and before he breaks through the bushes that blocks the exit from any eyes, he flails his arm around a bit in the bush and pulls out his tracker bracelet. He hides it there when he goes on his little nature adventures. 

He clicks the bracelet into place on his slightly sweaty wrist and watches as the little orange light flicks on and slowly flickers, signaling the power that now ran through it. He immediately sets into motion, ducking out of the bushes and hurrying towards his housing unit. It can't really be called a house, since it seems very cold with its concrete and bricks, but it's at least a bit home-y to Liam, as he's lived there with his family since elementary school.

Liam's 18 and a senior now, but the house still holds a lot of memories. When he got his first hover-board, when his parents brought home their first bionic puppy, and when Liam got his first kiss (6th grade, with a girl. Liam really didn't care for it). He jogs up the steps and stands in front of the scanner. He passes his bracelet under the glowing beam, hears a slight whirring noise, and then the stainless steel door slides open and allows him indoors. To enter any building, you need a tracker bracelet: it's a way to block out strangers and unsafe people from the city. Liam enters the cool, air-conditioned entry way and immediately feels refreshed. He steps onto the rug right inside the door and feels a vacuum completely cleaning the bottom of his shoes. 

"Hey, mum. I'm home," Liam shouts out, hoping his mum can hear him. His mother should be home, as it's nearing 6 pm. She gets off of her job (teaching school children) at 5:30. Liam's dad, on the other hand, doesn't get let off his mechanical-factory engineering job until 7 pm most nights, so Liam has come to expect only his mum when he gets home most days.

"Hi, honey. I'm in here," Liam's mum, Karen, answers from the living area. "Where have you been?"

Liam freezes where he stands. He somewhat suspects that Karen knows where he goes sometimes (to the forbidden outdoors). However, either she really doesn't know at all, or she's just very polite and understanding, because she's never mentioned it to Liam. Liam racks his brain for an excuse, any excuse.

"Oh, I had to meet up with Louis for an English project. At the library. Sorry, we ran longer than I thought we would," Liam improvises somewhat breathlessly. He hopes his mother accepts the excuse and doesn't think to talk to Louis (Liam's very best friend) about it.

"Alright, that's fine. Just let me know next time," his mother replies, apparently appeased. Liam relaxes, his shoulders dropping and letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. Liam has entered the living area at this point. His mother is sitting on the white synthetic leather pod in the middle of the room, leafing through her electronic book. She looks up, smiles at him, and then her eyes return to the book she's reading.

"Oh, honey, before I forget: your father called me at work." Liam gets a bit suspicious at this (once again), but he relaxes when his mother continues to elaborate. "He has a slight cold, but we're all out of cold medicine. I would normally just use the conjurer to get him some, but the connection seems to be a bit faulty today for some reason." The conjurer was a machine that teleported anything a citizen might need straight to their home--no need to leave the house for anything. "The rays must be a bit weak today, or something. Can you run to the convenience store to get your father some? I'm a bit busy reading."

"Sure, mum. I'll go right after I sanitize myself." His mother thanked him, handed him a bit of money, and Liam headed into his room: an all white room with a roomy sleeping pod, a computer screen covering an entire wall, and a few childhood memorabilia items sitting on the shelves on his walls, like his hoverboarding competition trophy. A typical middle class teenage boy room. He closed his door, stripped down completely, and headed into his connected sanitation room.

He stepped into the cubicle, pressed a button, and felt a warm rush of rays bathe onto him. He looked down and saw the bits of sweat and dirt from his run back dissolve off of him. An automatic stream of water and soap bubbles scrubbed at his hair, a lemony scent filling the room. After he had been washed off, the fan kicked in and got his body completely dry. He usually opted to leave his hair wet, as he did now. He didn't really like the thought of having his hair blow dried and styled: he preferred it natural.

Leaving his room, he slipped into trousers and a simple shirt. Waving to his mom on his way out, the front door slid open and he exited his housing unit. The thing about the city is that it gets dark very early: it was only 6:30-ish and the starry sky was already kicking into action. Liam likes it, though; the darkness was like a blanket. Warm, heavy, but not suffocating at all.

Liam made his way down the street. A few teenagers whipped past him on hoverboards. Liam loves riding his hoverboard (he's quite good at it, really), but he also loves to move simply on his feet.

He was sort of odd in that way: every one around him loved technology. They couldn't get enough of it. Neat gadgets, fancy hair dye, intricate makeup and nail designs. The newest fashions. However, Liam liked to be as natural and "old-fashioned" (judging from the faint tales he's heard about the old world, he would have fit in well there, where the best technology were simple rockets and computers. They even used cell phones, such an obsolete object).

The convenience store was almost abandoned, as per usual. The worker dressed in all black looked up in surprise, as if seeing a customer in there was a rare thing (which it was). Most people preferred to just have things teleported into their home, only going shopping just for the fun of it. Actually, Liam is a bit different in that way: he really doesn't mind doing things the "old-fashioned" way. He likes going out and buying things, not just using the teleporting-ray.

Liam gave a friendly nod to the worker, picked out his medicine, and pays for it with the money his mother gave him. Plastic bag in hand, Liam headed back out onto the streets. Unsurprisingly, the city was completely dark now, not just dusky. Some people would feel unsafe, walking in the city alone at night. Liam didn't, though, because the security in London was really good, and Liam was fairly well muscled and knowledgable in the art of self defense.

As Liam is strolling along the seemingly abandoned road, he hears a slightly muffled voice.

He can't make out what the person is saying, but it sounds like a man. Maybe someone with more of a Northern accent? Now, Liam normally is a good boy, doesn't snoop. But he's feeling a bit curious tonight, and, well, Liam isn't really sure what comes over him, because before he knows it, he's pressed against the wall and shuffling down towards the entrance to the alleyway a few yards down. If at any moment, the people in the alleyway were to walk out, they would have come across a flustered, blushing Liam, because Liam really didn't want to get caught attempting to eavesdrop.

As he gets closer, he can tell that the people-- well, Liam's assuming that it's people, since the man is talking outloud. Or maybe the man's crazy, and talking to himself, or he's on the phone. Actually, maybe the man is on the phone. Liam hasn't heard another person speak yet. Either way, Liam can tell the person (person? people?) is obviously trying to keep his voice down, like he doesn't want to be heard.

Liam's lucky that he's in a part of the city where there aren't many lights. Each street normally is flooded with street lights and bright signs so people don't feel afraid. Tonight, Liam is more grateful for the darkness than he had ever been before. It acts as a cover for him to peak a bit of his head around the alleyway. And so Liam does poke his head around the corner, hoping that the person/people standing in the alleyway are facing the other way.

It's a single man, luckily facing the opposite way, speaking in quick, hushed tones into a small, silver phone. His silhouette is slim, maybe a bit lanky, although Liam can't be sure, since the mystery man is leaning against the brick wall. He looks young, from what Liam can tell. But the most shocking part, to Liam, is that the man isn't wearing simple, non-descript clothing, like everyone, including Liam, wears in the society. The man's shoulders are cloaked in a slim-fitting, black leather jacket, and his black skinny jeans don't (Liam really, truly convinces himself) cause a warm stirring in Liam's stomach.

The man starts to pace back and forth a bit, appearing to not notice Liam at all. Liam strains his ears.

"It's tonight. Midnight. Man, you have to come," Liam can make out from what whispers he can hear. Definitely young-ish, Liam decides. Maybe around Liam's age? Liam wonders what's at midnight. Maybe a fun party? Those happen a lot.

"Great." A bit of muffled murmurs that Liam can't understand. "Outside the Grey Goose. Yeah, the normal place. We have a really great plan. Think we can make some good advances soon."

So. Midnight, outside the Grey Goose-- a small, rundown bar that Liam's passed by a few times.

But, what sort of plan-- or advances--could the man with the thick accent be talking about?

And before Liam can convince himself otherwise, he's ducking away from the alleyway. Sprinting back home. Thinking about how he can sneak out around 11:45 that night. And planning out what the best way to get to the Grey Goose is.


End file.
